My research and study of historic decorative painting has taken me to many wonderful museums, galleries, antique shops and private collections in both America and Europe. Being both a painter and teacher, this enthusiasm for the painted surface has led me to write about it.

Whether a seasoned theorem painter or novice, your collection would not be complete without this book. Theorem history, patterns, resources, and finishing techniques are presented in this comprehensive, 128 page soft-cover book.

Here is the long awaited update of research on the Rufus Porter Landscape Mural School, greatly expanding the knowledge and understanding of this uniquely American folk art field of the 1820s to 1840s. The text provides detailed documentation never seen before in print. The book takes the reader on a virtual tour of Porter School murals in the New England states, presenting and analyzing more than 400 colorful images, which will provide inspiration for historians, researchers, designers, and painters alike. It offers evidence regarding the attribution of these mostly unsigned works, and encourages readers to apply that evidence in reaching their own conclusions. In addition, there is a section concerning the preservation of historic murals and various challenges and threats to such preservation. Finally, the book offers a "how-to" section that interprets Porter's original published mural painting instructions in terms of modern equipment, materials, and supplies. 256 page hardcover book. Release from the publisher is expected late May, 2011.

"There is little if any evidence that a varnish was ever used in the false graining process. The decorators of the nineteeth century used what was available to them on the current market. We would be silly not to do the same. The German term for grain painting, kleistermaleri, employs a water and wheat paste mixture as the binding agent."

"Current decorating trends reflect the country's abiding interest in antiques and have led to a renewed interest in historic mural painting, which became fashionable from 1810-40. In "Landscape Painting on Walls of Rooms," Rufus Porter describes mixing dry pigments with glue and water to produce fast-drying tempera lime wash that was applied directly to plaster walls."

"How many of us have clipped our baby's curls and tucked them in a baby book as a memento of their infancy? How many of us remember writing in the autograph album of a friend in our youth? We save hand written letters and cards from people who have touched our lives and cherish the favorite handwritten recipe cards of our mothers."

"Early New England buildings had interior walls finished in wood: vertical or horizontal plain or beaded boards and panels typically covered the walls. Plaster gradually became more common, as did the use of pigmented paint on the walls. As the eighteenth century changed, so did tastes in decoration."

"We live in a world of sophisticated decoration that bombards our senses with beautiful fabrics, bountiful colors on walls, and stylish accoutrements to furnish our homes. The spontaneously simple designs on decorated spanschachteln (schachteln meaning boxes; span, wood shavings) popular from 1750-1850 in the states that make up modern Germany provide a refreshing and rewarding break. "

"In the German states and German influenced areas of the young United States, a groom often gave his bride a brightly painted wooden box for her trousseau, bridal crown, and bouquet. This project shows you how to create a large bride's box typical of those painted in Thüringen (in the central part of what now is Germany) around 1850."